The Essays

Montaigne explained in this work that total self-knowledge or mastery was nigh impossible. He reckoned that humans, being inside our own heads, can only see a portion of our experience and...

In this passage from his essay on cannibals, Montaigne contrasts the behavior of the cannibals he describes with that of supposedly civilized Europeans. He begins with an observation that recalls...

Montaigne believed that society both reflected human nature and helped to refine it. Society reflects human nature because what we see socially is a mirror of how we view ourselves as individuals....

Bacon's four idols are the Idols of the Tribe, the Cave, the Marketplace, and the Theatre. The Idols of the Tribe are attempts to derive truth from human beings' perceptions rather than from...

For Montaigne, The Essays were not only a collection of speculative musings. He saw them as a written formula for appropriate conduct in one’s daily affairs. His work was intended as a critique of...

I can't tell by reading your question whether you are wanting to compare the character of Emma or Austen's book called Emma with Montaigne's experience within his Essays. As a result, I am willing...